Their internal structure was homogeneous, particularly due to the absence of core material, hence corresponding to the definition of primary calculi.
Calculus size varied from 1 to 21 cm in maximum dimension and 4–1,460 g in mass. Histopathology revealed lesions due to an inflammatory response to the presence of the calculi: chronicle vaginitis, variable endometritis and cystitis. All females with calculi were older than 7, and there was no relationship of calculus size with age. Necropsies and reproductive tract examinations were performed on 435 female common dolphins since 1972 along the French coasts, of which 14 showed vaginal calculi, representing 3.2% of the examined females. Vaginal calculi were described and measured, and their composition was analyzed by Fourrier-Transformed Infra-Red (FTIR) spectroscopy. The work is based on routine examinations and necropsies of stranded marine mammals reported by the French stranding scheme from 1972 to 2012. The present work documents vaginal calculi prevalence and structure in the eastern North Atlantic common dolphin Delphinus delphis in order to infer their likely mechanisms of induction and possible effects on fecundity. In this study we focus on a reproductive pathology that has the potential to alter reproductive rate: the vaginal calculi or stones. The proper management of cetacean populations requires life history and demographic parameters to be estimated at population level.
3Centre d’Etudes Biologiques de Chizé, UMR 7372, ULR-CNRS, Université de La Rochelle, La Rochelle, France.2Hôpital Necker, Service de Biochimie, Paris, France.1Observatoire PELAGIS, UMS 3462 ULR-CNRS, La Rochelle Université, La Rochelle, France.Willy Dabin 1*, Bastien Rochowski 1, Michel Daudon 2 and Vincent Ridoux 1,3
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